Apologies to all my avid readers for the lateness of my Blog this week. Yesterday,as with the majority of Scotland, I spent most of the day in my car going nowhere. This strange white stuff fell from the sky and brought the country to a standstill. Since authorities seem to believe our climate is twinned with Australia we were stunned by this weather.Never mind, by the weekend we will be back on the beaches with our barbies and our surf boards.
This week Young Ben and I decided to do our letters to Santa. Apparently you can now do this on-line but we went "old school" with parchment and quill pen. When we finished I suggested that perhaps 74 items was somewhat optimistic and we whittled that down to a more realistic number
1. Ocean Wonders Space Saver Swing
2. Winnie The Pooh/Tigger Magic Rattle
3. Mr Potato Head
4. Ayr United Hat and Scarf
5. Amazing Animals Train
6. Fisher Price My First Guitar
That was my list. Young Ben's is secret, Santa likes it that way. He did mention that I would struggle to fit in the Space Saver Swing, but we shall see.
I have already started my own collection of Fisher Price My Firsts for Ben which include My First Cocktail Shaker, My First Rolex, My First Large Hadron Collider, My First iPhone, My First Coupon and My First Bottle of Lucozade for the Morning After, but I have drawn the line at My First Kindle. Looking for Spot on a Kindle would just not be the same
I was looking at worldwide pre-Christmas traditions on-line this week and here are my favorite 5 (if these are incorrect, don't blame me, blame Wiki. Everyone else seems to be doing that at the moment anyway)
1. Greenland...They have a dish called kiviak. To make this special treat they take the flesh of an auk, wrap it in sealskin and place it under a rock until it decomposes. Mmm delicious, perhaps Ben's Dad should add that one to his Christmas menu at The Church On The Hill
2. Yugoslavia (is there still a Yugoslavia?)...
The second Sunday before Christmas, children sneak up on their mum and tie her feet to a chair. They yell, 'Mother's Day, Mother's Day, what will you pay to get away?' The mother then gives them each a gift. This repeats the next Sunday with the dad and he too gives them gifts.(not really sure how they give them gifts whilst tied to a chair)
3. Finland...The Christmas season begins on Christmas Eve where everyone gathers at 5:00pm at the cemetery to pay a visit to his or her deceased loved ones. The visitors place candles on the graves and a service takes place. (I have been to Finland--they are not the cheeriest of people)
4. Netherlands... On the 6th of December, Sinterklaas and his sidekick, Black Pete, arrive by steamer. They leave nuts and candy for the children who have been good. (I think I may have met Black Pete on my last trip to Amsterdam....I certainly met his sister)
5.France...... On the night of December 5th, children are visited by two Santas -- Pere Noel and Pere Fouettard. Pere Noel rewards the kids with gifts, but Pere Fouettard (Father Spanker) gives the bad children a spanking.(Ah those fun loving Frenchies--nothing like a good hiding to get you in the Festive mood)
Anyway, that's it for this week. Happy Santa List writing. See you on the beach Saturday. Throw another penguin on the Barbie.
This week Young Ben and I decided to do our letters to Santa. Apparently you can now do this on-line but we went "old school" with parchment and quill pen. When we finished I suggested that perhaps 74 items was somewhat optimistic and we whittled that down to a more realistic number
1. Ocean Wonders Space Saver Swing
2. Winnie The Pooh/Tigger Magic Rattle
3. Mr Potato Head
4. Ayr United Hat and Scarf
5. Amazing Animals Train
6. Fisher Price My First Guitar
That was my list. Young Ben's is secret, Santa likes it that way. He did mention that I would struggle to fit in the Space Saver Swing, but we shall see.
I have already started my own collection of Fisher Price My Firsts for Ben which include My First Cocktail Shaker, My First Rolex, My First Large Hadron Collider, My First iPhone, My First Coupon and My First Bottle of Lucozade for the Morning After, but I have drawn the line at My First Kindle. Looking for Spot on a Kindle would just not be the same
I was looking at worldwide pre-Christmas traditions on-line this week and here are my favorite 5 (if these are incorrect, don't blame me, blame Wiki. Everyone else seems to be doing that at the moment anyway)
1. Greenland...They have a dish called kiviak. To make this special treat they take the flesh of an auk, wrap it in sealskin and place it under a rock until it decomposes. Mmm delicious, perhaps Ben's Dad should add that one to his Christmas menu at The Church On The Hill
2. Yugoslavia (is there still a Yugoslavia?)...
The second Sunday before Christmas, children sneak up on their mum and tie her feet to a chair. They yell, 'Mother's Day, Mother's Day, what will you pay to get away?' The mother then gives them each a gift. This repeats the next Sunday with the dad and he too gives them gifts.(not really sure how they give them gifts whilst tied to a chair)
3. Finland...The Christmas season begins on Christmas Eve where everyone gathers at 5:00pm at the cemetery to pay a visit to his or her deceased loved ones. The visitors place candles on the graves and a service takes place. (I have been to Finland--they are not the cheeriest of people)
4. Netherlands... On the 6th of December, Sinterklaas and his sidekick, Black Pete, arrive by steamer. They leave nuts and candy for the children who have been good. (I think I may have met Black Pete on my last trip to Amsterdam....I certainly met his sister)
5.France...... On the night of December 5th, children are visited by two Santas -- Pere Noel and Pere Fouettard. Pere Noel rewards the kids with gifts, but Pere Fouettard (Father Spanker) gives the bad children a spanking.(Ah those fun loving Frenchies--nothing like a good hiding to get you in the Festive mood)
Anyway, that's it for this week. Happy Santa List writing. See you on the beach Saturday. Throw another penguin on the Barbie.
Ok, so you are not a Francophile! All I can say in response is: Isabelle Adjani.
ReplyDeleteAnd the Santa Claus-accompanying bogeyman appears in lots of cultures. In Switzerland he is called Hans Trapp. Pity he didn't get a chance to stop Maria sneaking across the border with his Austrian cousins!